Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines (UNA), Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, has called for urgent government reforms to safeguard the survival of Nigeria’s aviation industry.

This is as the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says government policies for the aviation sector are geared towards boosting indigenous organisations, including the airline operators.

Speaking yesterday at the unveiling of two newly acquired aircraft, Boeing 737-800NG, named after late Prof. Chinua Achebe and Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeke Achebe at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, Okonkwo warned that rising operational costs, inadequate funding and persistent aircraft shortages were placing huge pressure on domestic carriers.

Okonkwo emphasised that without deliberate policy interventions, airlines would continue to grapple with significant operational and financial challenges.

He appealed to the government to change the narrative by obliterating or reducing some of the charges currently imposed on operators.

In his comment, Keyamo, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting indigenous airlines through favourable policies and improved access to aircraft financing.

Keyamo described the unveiling of the aircraft as one of the most rewarding moments of his tenure, saying the Federal Government’s aviation policies were deliberately designed to strengthen local carriers and enable them to compete effectively on regional and international routes.